Postcards from Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

Welcome back and hope you all have a great break after Lebaran Day.

For me, it's straight back to work at the Embassy and I even had a sudden assignment to Indonesia, supporting the 42nd ASEAN Summit at Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara. 

Cheers from me and mini-me at ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting

I have to say I am totally blessed with this opportunity to see this amazing part of Indonesia while getting a rewarding experience of an international conference with the team from my office.

morning jog at Marina Komodo, Labuan Bajo. East Nusa Tenggara

This is not my first visit to East Nusa Tenggara province, as I have visited Kupang, the capital of the province, and Atambua, the city bordering with Timor-Leste, before. Nevertheless, I was so excited to come and visit Labuan Bajo, which is famously known for its spectacular landscapes, amazing underwater world, unique cultures and traditions, as well as friendly, warm-hearted people. I bet you have heard of Komodo, Pink Beach, Padar and Rinca Island, Manta point diving site, and more! Those are some of the amazing spots in Labuan Bajo.

one of the traditional boats near the marina

So, before I share more stories, let's enjoy some photos I took during my stay in Labuan Bajo.

Let's say, some postcards from Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

busy Marina at Labuan Bajo

Pink beach, babe...

morning jog at Labuan Bajo

dancing with the manta at Makassar Reef, Labuan Bajo

Pink beach in one fine afternoon

saying hi to one female Komodo at Komodo Island

taking picture with the Komodo from the safe distance

Nanti saya akan ceritakan keseruannya saat berada di Labuan Bajo dengan segala aktivitas dan tempat - tempat yang luar buasa untuk dikunjungi.

See you on the next post!

The Celebration of the 77th Anniversary of Indonesia’s Independence Day and Indonesian Armed Forces

Hi everyone..

National Day or the celebration of our nation’s independence day is always be special. Commemorating the struggles of our ancestors and heroes, this day marks the new beginning in the life of the nation.

Ambassador Fientje Suebu with H.E. Deborah Geels from MFAT, Marja Lubeck, MP from Labour Party from Indonesian descent, and Defence Attache and spouse

For the celebration of the 77th Anniversary of Indonesia’s Independence Day and Indonesian Armed Forces this year, the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia held a Diplomatic Reception on October 12th, 2022. 

After postponing similar celebration for the last 2 years due to COVID-19 pandemic, this time we had been able to have a proper celebration.

After the flag - hoisting ceremony that we did on August 17th, this time we had the double celebration at New Zealand National Library in Thorndon, Wellington. 

We invited around 200 guest and 150 people came and joined us that night. It was really a wonderful celebration showcasing our pride as a thriving country, surviving COVID-19 and continue to make progress in terms of economic development, infrastructures and political stability.

With Nusantara, another word to call our homeland Indonesia, as the theme, we presented a little journey to Indonesia that night. We changed the national library into Indonesian corners, with decorations from different parts of Indonesia adorning the hall we used. 

Not to mention Indonesian delicacies such as kue lapis surabaya, kue lumpur, pastel and risol, as well as our signature rendang, sate ayam, gado - gado, vegetarian fried noodles, and fresh fruits. For our guests who drink alcohol, New Zealand wines and Indonesian beer, bir Bintang, were also available.

We also have Nasi Tumpeng, the famous coned yellow rice, presented to our Guest of Honour, Ambassador Deborah Geels, Deputy Secretary for Americas and Asians of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand. We also had free souvenir of Indonesian traditional woven syal for all our guests. 

The night got even merrier with the performance of Tari Piring, a traditional dance from West Sumatera and a medley of Indonesian songs, like Apuse, Sinanggar Tulo, Cublak - cublak suweng, dan Sajojo. The opening dance was Isolo from Papua.

It was really a lovely night and here are some more photos we have from the celebration.

Lapis Surabaya, everyone..

some of our guests while arriving..

Frits with Isolo dance from Papua 

Noken and Papuan arts and textile as part of the decoration

I was wearing my gold and purple Tapis Lampung, with kebaya sulam usus in the same colors. Good thing I bring the complete set of the Siger Lampung from home.

So, what do you think? We really have so much fun and hope we can have more engagement as well as exposure of Indonesian cultures in New Zealand.

Cheers.

Wonderful Wednesday with My Purple World, Oh My Heartsie Girls and Friends

What a week we have here!

We celebrate the 77th anniversary of Indonesia's Independence on August 17th and in the weekend before that, we had our last sport activities, the bowling tournament. We all went to Bowlarama and my son Bo got the 3rd prize in the teenagers category. As for the National Day, we had a ceremony inside of the room as the weather didn't permit us to do so outside. 

Too bad as my daugher Nadine was chosen as one of the members of  Paskibra, Pasukan Pengibar Bendera or the flag - hoisting troupe, and they had practices in the last two months. Nevertheless, we had a wonderful celebration with some special performance from the Indonesian community in Whanganui. 

We cut down the celebratory part as well at the same time, as our big family in Wellington Embassy is grieving. One of our staff has just lost his wife. She was very young, at 29, when she got the heart attack and passed away at Wellington Hospital. Our deepest condolences for almarhumah Anggi and her bereaving family.

Days before that, I celebrated my 45th birthday with family and friends. Yup, I am officially 45 years old now. I am so glad that my hubby has arrived from Indonesia on August 10th so that we can spend some times together in windy Welly. We had a gathering at the office so the birthday cake was presented to me during that day. Later in the evening, we had family dinner and this time we went to BurgerFuel, one of my kids' favorite food corner. We went to the one in Lower Hutt and had a good laugh together. Well, all and all, it was a super busy week, a bit of emotional roller coaster, yet it's also very fulfilling. I will definitely share more stories on the 17th of August celebration but for now, let's have a Wonderful Wednesday with My Purple World, Oh My Heartsie Girls and Friends.

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